At Work Within: Be transformed into all God created you to be

by Rick Osborne

God saw you and determined to make you into His image and likeness long before you were born. His vision for you and your life is so amazing it's beyond your imagining. What if you could be that person now? Well, you can be. God sent His Son to make you a new creation and to transform you into His own image. The Bible shows you how and Jesus will personally take you there. If you want more of God and His vision and plan for you, this book is for you.

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2016

Reviews

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

At Work Within by Rick Osborne is full of Scripture and great truth on the subject of being transformed into the image of Jesus. I appreciated all of the Bible verses used throughout as well as Rick’s frequent reminders that Jesus can – and does – teach me just as much as He teaches Rick. I “know” that, but a reminder never hurts. Profound truth is contained in these pages, written in a conversational and engaging tone that puts the reader at ease and makes some seminary-lecture-ready topics feel like a discussion over coffee.

Some of my favorite chapters included “Righteousness and Grace”, “From Faith to Faith”, and “All Things New”, and I highlighted several quotes to jot down for further reflection. (The chapters are actually steps in the process of transformation.)

The only real hesitation I had while reading At Work Within is that, although the writing style is very engaging and easy to follow, the subject matter and vocabulary is not always accessible to everyone. For me – pastor’s granddaughter, Christian school student from elementary through high school, Christian college graduate, participant in BSF and various other Bible studies each year – I had little problem ingesting the material. However, working as I do with unbelievers and new believers (particularly those whose first language is not English), I think that some of the terms used and some of the concepts will be a little difficult for people just starting on their journey with Jesus.

Bottom Line: It is clear that Rick Osborne loves Jesus and is excited about sharing His Word with other people. This enthusiasm is contagious as you read At Work Within. Bible verses saturate every page, keeping the focus on the Word and on Jesus as the Teacher – and sparking the desire to further dig into the subject in your own personal study. Great takeaway quotes are woven throughout and included at the end of each chapter for easy “retweetability”. I think At Work Within would facilitate some great discussion between “mature” Christians and/or those craving something more in their relationship with Jesus. As such, I can easily recommend it for this level of small group studies, personal reflection, and Sunday School classes.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)

See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower

[Mikal Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession: It takes me FOREVER to read a nonfiction book. Often because--don't hate me!--I find them that dreaded "b" word: boring. Unless it's the Bible, I have a very short attention span. Well, it took me a long time to read At Work Within, but only because there was a LOT to absorb (and I kept getting distracted with busyness).

Rick Osborne's conversational and relate-able style is refreshing. The content is truly biblical, with much Scripture to back up his points. I loved the shareable tweets and such at the end of each chapter. I often highlight what really strikes me, but I found these points to be helpful, too.

All in all, I think every believer should read this book.

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review--all thoughts are my own.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In At Work Within, Rick Osborne offers a very positive and insightful look at the Great Commission: Jesus’ call to his apostles and disciples to go and make disciples of all people. But how does that process begin? Mr. Osborne gives a bible based account of the main theme of this book – Transformation - beginning with salvation and the continuous goal of growing into the image of Christ through a seven step process that is firmly established in scripture. Each chapter of the book opens with a dream sequence which Mr. Osborne explains by the end of the chapter. Some readers may find this strange or intimidating, but I looked at these dreams as what inspired the author to write the book. I did not dwell too deeply into the dreams except to understand that the author would use them to explain a key point in his own transformation. My advice to readers is to remember that God speaks to his children in different ways, dreams, visions, small still voices, miracles, through His creation, through compassionate people, and mostly through the bible. So, don’t let the dreams keep you from the quality message within the chapters. Some of my favorite chapters were 4 (From Faith to Faith), 5 (All Things New), and 6 (The Renewing of Your Mind). I found these particular chapters helpful and they encouraged me and reminded me of Who the Author of my faith really is, and that He is diligently working to transform me into who He needs me to be in His image. I also liked the “Power Points” from each chapter to summarize the main ideas and give quick encouraging points for readers to consider before moving to the next chapter. Faults? There is some repetition, but I know that repetition is a tool used to help remember key ideas. I also saw this as Mr. Osborne’s way of ‘cheerleading’ and encouraging his readers to stay the course. There is a bit of sales pitch in one of the concluding sections, but the author does not simply ask for book purchases, but for readers to share the book and what they have learned with other Christians. The only thing I would have added to this section would have been to suggest that if you are sharing this book to make sure that the person had access to the Bible (God’s Holy Word), and understood how to use the bible in tandem with the book. This book alone is not going to make disciples or transform you from within. The Bible will!
I did receive an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. That being said, I started reading the book just to ‘read it through’ for a review; and I found myself delving into the scriptures and gaining spiritual insight from it. I am planning to recommend this book to my Sunday school class and to others who may be struggling to understand what their purpose as a Christian is. If you are interested in more information on salvation, discipleship, and transformation, visit AtWorkWithin.com.

[Susan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it takes me a while to get through a book and that was the case with this one. In part it was because the subject matter was so important, the ideas so deep.

The subtitle of this book is “Be transformed into all God created you to be”. The author’s ultimate goal is that believers begin to grow spiritually from the point of their acceptance of salvation and that we know and understand how to effectively disciple others. It is not just the job of our church and ministry leaders to fulfill the great commission; it is every believer’s job.

Osborne uses a conversational style that is very effective in communicating his ideas. The book would have been much more difficult and off-putting for the average reader had he used a more academic approach. I liked the use of dreams to present information, but was less satisfied with the way they were broken up in the chapter. Often I read the beginning, skipped to the end, and went back to read the content sandwiched between.

A beautiful part of this book is that you don’t have to take what Rick says as gospel truth (even though Jesus was his teacher). Scriptures to back up his thoughts are peppered throughout so you can do your own homework and verification.

My favourite chapters were the last three where the author discusses redemption, the renewing of one’s mind through God’s Word, and the power of prayer in the transformation process. I was less enthused by the conclusion of each chapter which offered “Quotes for Sharing on Social Media.” I like to do my own highlighting and am capable of selecting my own quotes to share on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter.

In his conclusion, Osborne encourages us to re-read the book and look up the scriptures cited for ourselves, as well as to set up “transformation groups,” where we can discuss the book’s ideas with others and grow disciples. These suggestions are valuable and I certainly plan to re-read the book myself. Transformation doesn’t happen in an instant and getting certain principles in our minds is crucial to their application.

Bottom line? I highly recommend this book to those who wish to deepen their Christian faith and make disciples for Jesus.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Note: I received this book free in exchange for my honest review.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

At Work Within: Be Transformed Into All God Created You To Be by Rick Osborne is not at all the book I thought it'd be. I was expecting yet another book that would walk me through all kinds of steps to help me be what God wants me to be. Nope. This book is a series of seven Truths of transformation (one per chapter) - each explaining what you already are, and what truths you need to recognize in order to collaborate with God's efforts to transform you from within into what He's already said that you are. The overall lesson is that the moment that we are declared a new creation in God, we start being transformed into what God already knows us to be. This is a lifelong process.

Rick encourages you to rethink pretty much every core concept you've been taught about this transformation and your discipleship to Christ. He uses personal dreams to illustrate common misconceptions and new ways to look at salvation, transformation, righteousness, grace, faith, redemption, prayer, and more. The lessons that hit me the hardest were Righteousness and Grace (Number 3) and From Faith to Faith (Number 4).

At Work Within reads more like a college dissertation than most of the Christian living/improvement books available these days. I'm not considering this a negative thing, just that it's not a casual book that reads like a conversation with an old friend over a cup of coffee. Instead, it's more akin to sermon or adult Sunday school class transcripts, with all the notes and Bible references in place. I think it'd be hard to follow and keep up interest for those that have a hard time staying awake during church service; but - if you're up to the challenge - there is a lot to be learned from the pages within. 4/5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a free print copy of this book from the publisher through BookCrash in exchange for this honest review.*

[Krista Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a hugely in-depth and intimate account that sheds light on the far reaches of our bond with Christ. Osborne emphatically exclaims that our understanding comes from His Spirit-"Go to Him and trust Him to teach you" and that God is intricately involved in our lives. Each "Truth of Transformation" is intricately woven with scripture, specifically that salvation covers past, present, and future, our growth never ends, that we are "one Spirit with God" and thus, He enables us the be the best us, to achieve His purpose for our lives, to be "amazing". One thing Osborne also states is how "change that he struggled with for years became simple in His hands": this message is just one of the many powerful ones that he exudes and reminds the Christian to let Him do the work within him. There is a distinction between "hoping" to accomplish His will versus claiming the certainty to do it. Overall, he encourages us to let the Word to transform us, that's why it's there, and to shed that old self--it does not have dominion, it does not define us because we are NEW in Christ and to never stop believing that.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's taken me many years to learn how to move my Christian journey from the attitude of just having a "get out of hell free" card to real investment in a meaningful relationship with God, and I've been acutely aware in recent months that I still need help. At Work Within provides that, with practical steps and Biblical truths to walk through the process. I enjoyed Rick's perspective and explanations that clarified what might have confused me before, or just stated a matter so clearly that I can't forget the lessons learned because they mean more than "head knowledge" now and have moved to "heart comprehension."

Discipleship has become a passion of mine and this is definitely a book I will recommend over and over when the topic comes up. We all need to read these truths and live them out!

This ebook was provided by the author for review purposes, but all opinions are my own.

[Dotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free in return for an honest review.
At Work Within by Rick Osborne is full of Scripture and great truth on the subject of being transformed into the image of Jesus. I appreciated all of the Bible verses used throughout
Rick Osborne offers a very positive and insightful look at the Great Commission: Jesus’ call to his apostles and disciples to go and make disciples of all people.